Pokemon: Partners
by Clayton Overstreet
Summary: Zoey has to choose whether to join up with Dawn or Candice for her new Journey.


I don't own these characters or profit from them.

Warning: Spoilers. I don't have a lot of details, but here's what I do know. If you don't want any Pokemon Spoilers, stop reading now.

A: Zoey beats Dawn at the grand festival.

B: Dawn and Brock leave Ash who hooks up with two new people for the next season.

This is the extent of my current knowledge of season 14. They haven't even finished Season 13 yet. So I don't want to hear any complaints if the show doesn't go like this fan fic or whatever actually happens in the show. It's fictional. Justify it however you want. Also I only watch the show, I'm not obsessed so I may get the names of some pokemon slightly wrong. The most I know about the original Japanese version aside from the stuff edited out is that Dawn's original Japanese name is Hikari, but that just makes me think of Digimon so I'm sticking with English. I am not even 100% sure on exactly what moves each pokemon can make. (It was so much easier back when there were only 150 of the suckers… but then that was 12 years ago.) So just enjoy the story and ignore the fictional facts I may have gotten wrong.

Partner

By, Clayton Overstreet

Dawn bit her thumb staring across the battlefield at Candice, the Snowpoint City gym leader. Candice smirked back confidently. Between them Abomasnow and Mammoswine squared off. Mammoswine snorted out of its nose, shook its head, letting its tusks gleam in the sun. Abomasnow bared its teeth and growled. Nurse joy held up her hand.

"This is a one on one pokemon battle. No substitutions allowed. You continue until one of your pokemon is no longer able to battle."

Nearby Zoey sat on a rock just to the side of the middle of the battlefield. Her eyes darted nervously between the two girls.

Candice looked at Dawn. "Ready to go?"

"I… I guess so," she said.

Nurse Joy nodded and brought her hand down. "Begin!"

The Day Before

Dawn and Piplup were walking down the road to the Pokemon center. Her stomach grumbled and she put a hand to her stomach. "You know Piplup, we could really use Brock's cooking right about now."

The tiny blue penguin-like pokemon nodded and held its own stomach. "Pip, piplup."

Dawn reached into a pocket and pulled out a poffin. "Here, it's the last one I've got. I'll have to make some more at the Pokemon Center." Piplup took it gratefully and ate it quickly.

As they crested the hill and headed towards the Center they noticed someone familiar standing outside the doors to the Pokemon Center. "Candice!"

"Dawn! Piplup! Good to see you again! What are you doing here in the Canto region?"

Dawn said, "Since I'm on my own I thought I'd check out the contests in the place Brock and Ash come from. What are you doing here?"

"I'm giving Zo-zo a ride."

Suddenly the doors opened and Zoey came out, hands in her pockets. She noticed Dawn and smiled. "Hey Dawn. Here to check out the local contests?"

"You know it," Dawn said.

Candice smiled. "Well between Zo-zo and the Ice Queen I'm sure you'll show the Canto festivals just what a Sonoh girl can do."

"The Ice Queen?" Dawn asked.

Candice said, "It's a nickname they've been giving you lately because you do all those tricks with ice in your perfmormances."

Dawn smiled. "The Ice Queen huh? Sounds… cool."

"I thought so," Zoey said. Then she sighed. "But the way things are working here I don't think I'll be earning my own name anytime soon."

"Why not?" Dawn asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. It turns out that Canto festivals are a little different. In a way they're pretty exclusive."

"Come on Zo-zo, you can handle whatever they can dish out!"

"You don't understand Ms. Senior," Zoey said. "In Canto they insist on double battles. You have to have a partner. They guage the whole thing on how two people work together and merge their attacks. On top of that once you reach the Grand Festival you battle together until one team is left and then the two of you face off."

Dawn gasped. "You mean you have to work together to get all five ribbons and then in the end they make you turn on each other?"

Zoey nodded. "It makes it harder because by the time you finish up you and your partner know all about each other's moves and styles. So when you get to the end it's like you're fighting yourself."

"That sounds rough," Candice said. "It can be hard enough working with someone else and getting in sync enough to work together."

Zoey nodded. "Most of the festivals out here rarely get more than two or three teams competing at the most. But those teams are some of the best coordinators in the world." She shook her head. "I think I'd better go to the Orange Islands or somewhere else. I don't even have a partner."

"I'll be your partner," Dawn and Candice said at the same time. They stopped and looked at one another.

Zoey smiled. "Thanks for the offer guys, but you don't have to."

"It's no problem," Dawn said. "I came here to compete in the same festivals. This would solve both our problems."

"Hold it Dawn, you can't be Zo-zo's partner." Candice stood up straight and said, "She and I have known each other since we were little kids. Nobody knows Zoey's style like I do."

"I know her style very well," Dawn said. "We've gone up against each other and even trained together lots of times. Besides, don't you have a gym to run?"

"I can take time off," she said. "Nobody ever comes to the Snowpoint gym anyway." She looked at Dawn. "And you know Zoey is your chief rival. You two will face off again and I don't think either of you will be able to do it effectively if you learn that much about each other's moves."

"Well I think it'll give us even more reason to figure out new moves later and keep us from getting stale," Dawn said. "And besides you aren't even a coordinator, you're a gym leader."

"So?"

"Guys, there's no need to fight over this," Zoey said.

Candice looked at her. "You're right. All you have to do is pick one of us to partner up with."

"Pick?" Zoey said, surprised. "I wasn't even planning…"

"Zo-zo, you came all the way out here! You can't give up now, especially when you have a way to compete."

"She has a point," Dawn said. "I know I don't want to just turn around and walk all the way to somewhere else when I'm already here and ready to compete." She looked Zoey in the eye. "And I think you and I could do a lot as partners."

Candice stepped forward and took Zoey's hands. "But not as much as you and I can do! Think about it! Two childhood friends, battleling together across the Canto region to become champions! I'll bet my gym style moves would compliment your contest moves nicely!"

Zoey laughed a little uncertainly. "I'll bet they would… but Dawn is good at contests and she and I have worked together well before. I just… I don't know about just choosing someone…"

Dawn nodded. "I guess I see what you mean. If it'll make it easier on you maybe I should just see if there is another coordinator around here that could use a partner!"

Candice turned on her. "What kind of talk is that Dawn? You're just going to give up like that?"

"But I thought you wanted…"

"That's no way to behave! Look if Zo-zo can't choose which of us to partner with why don't we settle it with a pokemon battle?"

Piplup, who had been watching things tapped on Dawn's leg. She looked down and he looked up at her, eyes narrowed, and nodded. "You think I should give it a try?" He nodded and made a small fist with a flipper. "You're right Piplup, no backing down." She looked at Zoey. "Does it sound okay with you?"

"I guess," she said. "I just… I feel a little weird with you two wanting to fight over me."

Candice put an arm around Zoey's shoulder. "It's just one more aspect of your appeal! Didn't you think people would want to team up with you once you became a great coordinator?"

"I guess I never gave it much thought," she admitted.

She turned to Dawn and said, "But Zoey and I have been friends for a long time Dawn. I'm very protective. So there's no way I'm just going to let you take her away!"

"hey I happen to l… uh… like Zoey a lot too," Dawn said, blushing a little. She glanced at Zoey who looked away and had a little pink on her cheeks. "We've been through a lot together."

"Well then tomorrow we'll just settle it," Candice said. "I'll go ask Nurse Joy f she can referee." She let go of Zoey and headed into the center.

Dawn looked at Zoey. "Sorry about that. I guess I just got carried away."

"It's okay. Ms. Senior has that effect on people."

"She reminds me a lot of Ash," Dawn said. "Especially when he was gearing up for a gym battle."

"I see the resemblance," Zoey admitted. "Look Dawn you don't have to do this if you don't want to. I'm not even sure I want to do this."

"Zoey, don't say that." She smiled. "Candice and I both know that you can do this."

"You really think so?"

"Definitely," Dawn said. "Hey you beat me. I can't let you give up like that. Think how it would make me look." She laughed. "Just imagine what people would say if they knew I lost to a quitter."

Zoey grinned. "Yeah, I'd hate to ruin your reputation." She looked at Dawn warningly. "But remember, Ms. Senior is the Snowpoint gym leader. She's pretty tough."

"I know," Dawn said. "I'll just have to do my best."

Piplup nodded and said confidently, "Piplup!"

That Night

Dawn was on the video-phone with her mother. "So that's basically where I stand."

Joanna (it may be Johanna or something… I never could tell so I'm guessing) nodded and said, "I see the problem. I never competed in Canto myself. The double battles threw me and there were always so many other contests just waiting. Are you sure you want to try it?"

"I think so. I would really like the chance to work with Zoey on this if I get the chance."

"What if you lose? Are you still going to go through with it if you can't have Zoey for a partner?" Dawn did not say anything. "Dawn, is this really about the contest?"

Dawn looked down. "I don't know. Since I haven't been travelling with Ash and Brock it's been kind of lonely. And to tell the truth I always did think Zoey was really cool." She blushed a little. "I guess I thought if she and I worked together we might get to be really good friends. And we might even with the Canto Grand Festival if we can just work together."

Joanna nodded. "I see. Well Dawn, keep in mind, being partners isn't easy. It's like any other long term relationship. You two may get along great in a contest, but in the long run you may find that you don't have that great a relationship in private. Little things can become big problems later."

"Jeez mom, you make it sound like I'm marrying her."

Joanna raised an eyebrow and Dawn's blush deepened. "When you left on your pokemon journey I told youthat you would have to make decisions like that yourself with your own friends. I can't tell you what to do Dawn. I can just wish you good luck."

"Thanks mom," Dawn said. "Whatever happens I'm going to do my best."

"That's the way," Joanna said. "Remember Dawn, you are a coordinator. You're the only one who can decide if you're doing your best. Goodnight."

"Goodnight mom."

The Battle

Nurse Joy brought her hand down in a chopping motion. "Begin!"

"Abomisnow, blizzard!" Candice said immediately.

Her pokemon let loose a huge blast of snow. "Abomisnow!" Dawn held up her hand as the blast of frozen air hit her and made her blink. Mammoswine stood there, its fur blowing in the wind.

"Mammoswine, dig!" Dawn shouted. With a snort Mammoswine dove down, disappearing into the ground. "Takedown!:"

The ground under Abomisnow's feet started to shake. Candice shouted, "Abomisnow, move!" The big pokemon dodged to the left just as mammoswine burst through the ground under its feet. It was clipped with a tusk and roared, but stayed on its feet. "Ice Punch!" It turned and slammed a glowing fist into Mammoswine's side as it landed.

Mammoswine skidded across the ground, kicking up dirst. Over its side was a patch of ice sticking to its fur. Mammoswine shouted, "Mammo!" Then it began pawing the ground, shaking its head. .

"Mammoswine calm down!" Dawn shouted. Reluctantly Mammoswine breathed out a jet of icy wind from its snout. "Ice Shard!" Mammoswine opened its mouth and a glowing iceshard appeared between its tusks. "Now eat it!"

"What?" Candice said. "Oh no!"

Mammoswine chomped down on the ice shard and swallowed. A second later the patch of ice on its side was shattered as huge ice spines shot out of Mammoswine's fur. "Take down!" Mammoswine charged towards Abomisnow, its steps shaking the ground.

"Grab it Abomisnow!" Candice said. As Mammoswine charged Abomisnow grabbed its tusks and planted its feet. The result was Abomisnow being pushed back, its feet leaving a deep trench in the gorund. But it managed to stop just at the edge of the battlefield. "Blizzard!":

Mammoswine took the blast of cold air right in the face and was forced to step back a bit. As the snow piled up on top of its ice armor its movements slowed. Zoey shouted without thinking, "Dawn be careful."

"I know," she said. The extra weight of the ice was not much to Mammoswine, but the snow on top of it was getting to be too much.

Candice noticed it too. "I don't think 'Mammoswine' can take the weight Dawn." The way she said it made it seem like it was more of a comment about Dawn than her pokemon.

Dawn glared at her and extended her hand in a wave. "Mammoswine, hidden power!" Mammoswine bellowed and bright lights began circling around it reflecting off the ice.

"Abomisnow, ice beam! Aim at the ice armor on Mammoswine's back!" A blue beam shot out and hit Mammoswine in the back. Hidden Power disappated as its legs buckled under it and the ice grew on its back like a glacier.

"Mammoswine!" Dawn shouted.

"Almost over now Dawn," Candice said. "I guess you were just no match for my Keyai!"

Dawn glanced at Zoey who was looking between the two of them. Her lips pressed together. "I am not going to give up! Mammoswine, time to lose that ice armor! Dig!" Mammoswine dropped into the ground, but the ice spines stuck out where it went.

Candice laughed. "Looks like Mammoswine is stuck!"

"Mammoswine, take down!" Suddenly the ground roared up and Mammoswine burst out right under Abomisnow, which took a direct hit, falling back.

Zoey got it immediately. "Mammoswine shed the armor in the hole and made it look like it was still there!"

Dawn stood up straight. "In a contest battle you have to keep from being distracted by your oppenents moves no matter how flashy they look."

"Abomisnow are you okay?" Candice asked. It stood up slowly. "Aboma!"

Mammoswine was breathing hard too. The weight of the extra ice on its body had taken its toll too. Dawn shouted, "Okay Mammoswine! One more time! Ice Shard!"

"Abomisnow, dodge and use ice beam!"

The ice shard shot out but Abomisnow was quicker. It dodged to the side and let loose its icebeam at Mammoswine's feet.

Suddenly a cloud moved out from in front of the sun and the ray struck the remains of Mammoswine's ice armor. The light reflected back, striking Abomisnow in the face. "Abomisnow!" It held up its hands to block the light and turned its head, but was still in the middle of firing off its ice beam. The beam went wide and started towards Dawn, leaving a trail of ice behind it.

"Dawn!" Zoey shouted and lept up off her seat. Dawn froze figuratively as she saw the icebeam coming towards her. She was about to freeze for real when Zoey knocked her out of the way in a tackle.

Dawn picked herself up and winced as she felt bruises and scrapes. Then she heard Zoey groan and looked up. Zoey was lying on the ground, her right leg encased in ice. "Zoey!" Dawn scrambled over to her friend's side. "Zoey are you okay?"

"A little cold, but fine," she said through gritted teeth.

Dawn reached for a pokeball and summoned her cindequil. "Cindequil, I need you to carefully melt the ice from Zoey's leg."

"Cinda!" A small flame came out of its mouth and the ice began to melt.

Dawn reached down and took Zoey's hand. "I am so sorry."

"Don't be," Zoey said. "I just didn't want you to get hurt." She smiled. Nurse Joy rushed over to make sure she was okay. A second later the ice melted and Zoey cracked it off her leg. "Look I'm fine."

"You still should come in and get looked at," Nurse Joy said.

She nodded. "Sure thing." Looking at Dawn Zoey said, "Are you okay?"

Dawn smiled. "A few bruises. Nothing I won't get over." She hugged Zoey. "Thank you."

After a moment's hesitation Zoey hugged her too. She closed her eyes and leaned her chin against Dawn's shoulder. "Any time."

After a moment Dawn pulled back. She bit her lip. "I guess I lose." She nodded behind Zoey who turned to look. Mammoswine was down, its legs encased in ice just like Zoey's had been. Abomisnow was breathing hard, but still standing.

"I… I guess so," Zoey said, sounding a little sad.

"Hey, where's Candice?" Dawn asked. Abomisnow moved to the side and they all stopped and stared. Candice stood, frozen inside a block of ice. "Oops, I guess I should work on Mammoswine's aim."

An hour later Candice was sitting wrapped in a warm blanker, her feet in a tub of warm water, and sipping hot tea. She sneezed once and said, "Suddenly Snowpoint City doesn't seem as cold as is used to."

"I'll say," Zoey said. "Are you alright Ms. Senior?"

"I'll thaw out. I've had worse experiences when I was training Abomisnow."

Dawn nodded and smiled sadly. "Plus you won. You beat me fair and square."

Candice said. "I did? I really could't tell through the ice."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"No need to worry," Candice said. She looked at Zoey. "So I guess this means you and I will be travelling together."

Zoey smiled. "That sounds like fun Ms. Senior…" She shook her head. "But no. If she still wants to I think I'd rather choose to go with Dawn."

"Really?" Candice asked.

"Why?" Dawn said right after.

Zoey looked at Dawn. "Ms. Senior won sure, but she did it by hammering away at Mammoswine until he went down. Her moves were blunt and straightforward and not what contests are all about." She looked at Candice. "A coordinator has to show off their own pokemon, not focus on beating their opponent. In a gym battle you would have won, but in a contest Dawn's moves would have taken out your points before you even got to the end."

"I guess you're right," Candice admitted. "And I thoght you might choose Dawn."

"What made you so sure?" Zoey asked.

Candice smiled. "The way you threw yourself on her to save her from becoming a snowcone and left me to freeze."

Zoey blushed. "Sorry." She looked at Dawn. So do you want to come with me?" She nervously extended a hand.

Dawn took it, their palms slapping together as she clasped Zoey's fingers tightly in hers. "I'd lo…" She blushed. "I'd like that. A lot."

Candice smirked as she saw Zoey's hand squeeze Dawn's. "Maybe I should stick around."

"Ms. Senior," Zoey said. "You should rest and then get back to the Snowpoint gym. You have classes to teach and I'll just bet somebody is working their way up the mountain to challenge you for a badge."

"I remember when Ash, Brock, and I went to Fantina's gym and kept missing her. It's not far to keep your challengers waiting," Dawn said.

Candice nodded. "I guess you're right." She looked at Dawn. "But I'll be watching so you'd better do a good job as Zoey's partner. And make sure you put in all of your Key-a-a-achoo!"

"Bless you," Zoey and Dawn said.

"Thanks."

"I'll do my best, I promise," Dawn said.

Candice waved goodbye and then got into a cab, heading for the airport and back home. Once she was out of sight Dawn, Zoey, and Piplup started walking down the road. Dawn said, "Nurse Joy tells me there's a contest in Viridian City soon. While we're there we can meet Misty."

"Misty?"

"She's a friend of Ash's that used to travel with him when he was starting out, but now she's running the gym there. I hear she's a great water pokemon trainer."

"Sounds like fun. And while we're walking we can try working a few things out."

"Like how we can mix and match our different contest moves," Dawn said. "Cause I was wondering how shadowclaw would work with hidden power…" She was interrupted when Zoey reached over and took her hand. Dawn looked up at Zoey questioningly, but the girl was wearing her sunglasses and her face seemed frozen, neither smiling or frowning.

"Yeah, we can talk about our moves," Zoey said. "But it'll take us a few days to get to Viridian City. I think we can wait to work on our moves for at least one day."

Dawn asked hopefully, "So what do we talk about in the mean time?"

Zoey used her free hand to reach up and take off her glasses. She looked into Dawn's eyes and smiled. "I'm sure we can think of something."

Dawn shook her head and stepped a little closer to Zoey. "No, we don't need to talk for now." They kept walking.

Piplup, unsure what was going on, said, "Pip, piplup?" Dawn did not respond and with a shrug the small pokemon hurried after the two girls.

Author's Note

Okay, let's get something straight. In my opinion Ash and Misty are a great couple. May and whats-his-name with the roses are a great couple (sorry but it's been years since Johto was on). And I think Dawn and Zoey make a great couple. They're physically about ten so I'm not doing anything involving sex, but the show's been on for about three or four years with Dawn and Zoey in it so I'm assuming they're about fourteen or fifteen and old enough to date. Heck, Team Rocket's first comment to Dawn was about how they have been after Pikachu longer than she's been alive, so Pokemon's not really a show you want to guess at ages.

If you enjoyed this story or any of my others, I recommend going to Amazon and looking up some of my original books by Clayton Overstreet or C.D. Overstreet. And of course I love reviews.


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